Composition of matter for sizing and dyeing.



mlmmcniv. AISEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

'comPosI'rIoN or MA'mEn FOR, SIZING AND DYEING.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may cohcern Be it known that I, MAURICE N. AISEN, asubject of the King of Roumania, residing atIJhicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulComposition of Matter for Sizing and Dyeing, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a composition of matter to be used as a sizingand dyeing bath. This composition may be used in arts where a combinedsizing and dyeing operation is employed, and as a specific example Ishall describe it in connection with the manufacture of hats with whichIam familiar. 1

In the manufacture of hats and particularly those of straw and hempbraids, the

stock comes to the manufacturer in its natural color, unbleached andunsized. According to the usual practice, when an order is received, themanufacturer takes from his stock a sufficient number of pieces of braidrequired to fill the order. This he has dyed to the desired colors andshades and the,

stock is then put through the regular operations of stitching, sizing,blockin and pressing, known to those familiar with the-art. Among thedisadvantages to the manufacturer of such practice, are the following:The dyeing of the stock in lots and in the a piece in amounts 'tofill acustomers order requires considerable time, and as very few hatmanufacturers operate a dyeing plant in connection with their works, thedyeing must be done outside. It usually takes from ten days to two weeksto send the braid from the hat manufacturer to the dyer and.

for its return, and in the meantime the fashions as to the color orshade ordered may change, and if the'order is canceled or reduced thehat manufacturer must stand the loss of the braid which has been dyed,or it must be redyed in black. In the original packages or pieces thebraid is evenly laid back and forth flat and the edges straight. Whendyed in the piece the package must be opened and made loose so that thedye may reach-all parts of the package and when it' dries there is moreor less distortion of the braid and the edges are more or less curled.Also the braid loses some of the stiffness which it possessed when inthe original ackage or'piece, and thus renders the stitc mg a littlemore uneven and difiicult to accomplish. Addition- ,iSp'ecification ofLetters Patent. 7

Patented ivov. 28, 191

Application filed May 15, 1814. Serial No. 838,690.

ally it renders necessary the rewinding of the braid on reelsbefore itgoes to the stitching room.

The hat braid comes in packages running from forty to eighty yards eachand the making of a hat usually requires more braid than. is containedin a single piece, so that in practice when the operator has stitchedone package or piece of the d ed braid care must be exercised in theselection of the next piece in order that the hat shall have a unformcolor or shade throughout, as otherwise it may be rejected by thecustomer. The same care must be, exercised in the selection of thethread with which the sewing is done, as it must match as nearaspossible the color'and shade of the dyed braid. This 7 requires themanufacturer to carryin stock a large number of tubes or spools ofthread of various colors and shades many of which may not be used or maynot be called for during the season. It is the experience of j the tradethat thread manufacturers will not sell supplies in small quantities andhence the hat manufacturer is required to purchase a certain amount ofeach color of thread far in advance ofthe season, and if the fashion incolors changes, the unused or uncalled for colors are a loss. From thestandpoint of the jobber; he must keep on hand a comparatively largestock of hats of various colors to supply a possible demand fromretailers, and at the close of the season' may find himself withmanycolors unsold. These hats are a lossto the jobber and are usually soldby him at much less than the actual cost; I

The above statements are sufficient to show that in the hat industry thecaprices of fashion may, and they often do, entail a considerable lossupon the manufacturer because of the conditions under which he iscompelled to manufacture. therefore, has been to lessen, to some extentat least, the'liability of such losses, and I have succeeded in doing soby a method they have been sewed instead of first dyeing the braid andthen sewing the dyed braid as hasbeen done heretofore. In practisingsuch method I utilize as the dye bath properties of g ue by hydrolyslsthereby My purpose,

which includes the dyeing of the hats after V as nitric acid,hydrochloric acid and sulfuric 7 4 hol. To this liquid, While heated toabout rendering it soluble in an organic solvent such as methyl or ethylalcohol. As hydro-"' lyzing agents I have used mineral acids, suchExample 1: I take two and one-half pounds of nitric acid 70 per cent.pure, and add one and one-jquarter pounds of formic acid 25 'per cent.pure, and three and one-half pounds of "water. These are mixed and,shaken or agitated in any conven'ient manner to produce a homogeneousmixture.

- I then add ten pounds of powdered glue and mix, taking care that theglue is well cov-v ered by the liquid. This is allowed to stand from oneto three hours, and then I add alc hol as desired and shake or agitate.for about fifteen minutes.

Example 2: I take about eight to ten pounds of hydrochloric acidcalculated as ydrogen chlorid pure, to fOO pounds of glue, and add theacid-to one gallon of alco- 120 to 130? F., the glue is added and themixture allowed to stand at that tempera.-

ture, for about one hour with occasional stirring; during this timehydrolysis of the glue ensues and the glue is dissolved in the alcohol.Any suitable means 'for heating the solution ma be provided. I

Example 3:v en per cent. of potassium hydroxid, of the weight of glue tobe dis-- solved, is dissolved in two gallons of alcohol and the mixtureheated to about 120 F. The glue' is then added, when stirring, and themixture heated to about 145 to 150 F. in a vessel containing means torecover the alcohol vapors. The mixture is heated at this temperaturefor about one hour or onehour and a half and then neutralized by theaddition of a suitable acid either completely or to any desired-degreewhich is not harmful to the glue or to the material. treated.

I have used the'term glue in the above examples as includin gelatin, andas mean- .ing animal albuminoids and glues of gelatinic basis whichheretofore, so far as known to me, have been insoluble in alcohol,acetone, ether and other orga'nicsoL vents.

' undue amount of mineral acid will in time impair the eificie'ncy ofthe composition as a sizing and if permitted to remain in the solution,might hydrolyze theglue to a degree which will render the compositionless effective. Also the acid is apt to be harmful to cellulose braidsof which the the solution, which in the. present case 1s used for sizingas well asa dye :1 bath, the following may be cited.

hits are made. I, therefore, neutralize all of the. hydrolyzing agent,or neutralize it to a degree at which its resence is not harm- 'ful tothe glue or to t e'hat material. The

alcoholic solution of glue being the dye bath the bath may be readilymade acid, alkaline or-neutral accqrding to the character of the;

dyestufl" used. With a asic coal tar color the bath is made slightlyacid and with a substantive color, slightly alkaline; If the dyestuffisinsoluble in water I dissolve it in alcohol and add to the bath. Ifinsoluble in alcohol I dissolve it in water or by other j suitablesolvent, and add to the bath, thev proportion of dyestufl' dependingupon the intensity of color desired on the goods, and

[varies from one-half ounce to twenty-five ounces for a twenty gallonbath. I can use and have used the following: Basic colors such aschrysoidines, phosphms, rhodamins,

'methylene blues, cotton blues, etc. Substan-' tive or direct colorssuch asdiamins, 'oxamins, etc. Acid colors suchas' azo colors,chrysolns, rosindulln, allzarlns. The amount of 'colorlng matter desiredis dissolved 1n its appropriatesolvent and added to the bath andthoroughly stirred therethrough.

I have found that the .presenceof -a certain,

amount'of water, even 25 to 30 per cent.,. in

the solution is not detrimentaL-the amount depending upon thecoeflicients of contrac tion of the braid and the thread.

\Having prepared, thebath by adding the dyestufiv to the alcoholicsizing-solution the manufacture of a hat includes the followingoperations: When an order is received for hats to be of certain colors,the stock in its original unbleached and untreated condition 'and' inthe original bundle or piece as it comes from the braid manufacturer, issent to the sewing room where it is sewed on the block to the formsdesired and. with little.

or no allowance for shrinkage. As the stock is used in its naturalconditlon the operator uses ordinary white cotton thread for sewing thebraid thereby doing away with the necessity of carr ing on hand a supplyof. various colors 0 threads as the thread is dyed at the sametimeand'the same color as the braid. When, however, the hat form I is tobe dyed with a basic coal tar color I prefer to use a cotton threadmordanted by any of the usual and known methods for mordanting cotton.After the hat form is sewed it is sent to the sizing and dyeing room andtreated as follows: Any desired 'number'of hats are placed in a wirecage suspended or supported in a vat and the latter closed air andwatertight. Into the closed vat is forced the solution made as abovedescribed, that is, a sizing solution which at the same time contains adyestuff. The solution is preferably introduced under a pressure of fromten to twenty pounds and at atemperature of from to F., and

in amount suflicient to submerge the hats or to completely fill the vatas may be desired. Thehats are allowed to remain in the solution forthree to six minutes or longer as may be necessary in order that thesolution may thoroughly enetrate the braid and to uniformly size an dyethe braid and thread. The solution is then run off and any excessremoved from the hats preferably by admitting air under pressure to thevat. The hats are then removed from the vat, hung up to dry, blocked andpressed in the usual way.

Among the advantages of the method herein described the following may benamed: The hats are sewedwith the braid in its natural color andcondition making it easier for the operator to handle and sew. As thedyeing is done after sewing, the coloring .of the hat is uniform anddoes away with the necessity of matching the pieces of braid as when thebraid, as heretofore, has been dyed before sewing. It also does awaywith the necessity of carrying in stock a large number of tubes orspools of various colors of thread, as white thread may be used which isdyed a uniform color with the braid. By prior methods the sizingsometimes alfects the'color and causes it to .run

' to the sizing and as to the dyeing. Carry" or appear Streaky.- By thepresent method a the sizing being colored penetrates the fiber and makesa uniform color over the hat.

The alcohol of the bath penetrates the fiber readily, carrying both thesizing and the color and produces a more uniform result both as ratesreadily the time required for drying.

the hats is reduced to a minimum. The sewed hat is sized and dyed inone' operation "requiring but a few minutes instead of, as heretofore,waiting upon the dyer to dye the ing the time the chances of a changein, or a cancellation of, an order is lessened. By

being able to have an order filled in a comparatively short time it isnot necessary for the jobber to keep on hand a large supply. If thereshould be a sudden demand for a particular color, or particular shape ofhat, the order .can be filled and delivered by the manufacturer in aboutone-fourth the time heretofore required.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. A composition of matter containing hydrolyzed glue insolution in an organic solvent and a dyestuff.

2. A composition of matter containing hydrolyzed glue in an alcoholicsolution, and a dyestufi.

3. A composition of matter containing hydrolyzed glue in solution inalcohol and a .:basic coal tar color.

4. A sizing and dyeing solution containing hydrolyzed glue and adyestufi'.

5. A sizing and dyeing solution containing hydrolyzed glue and a basiccoal tar color.

6. A composition of matter containing a. neutral solution of hydrolyzedglue in an organic solvent, and a dye-stufi', v

7. A composition of matter containing a neutral alcoholic solution ofhydrolyzed glue, and a dye-stufi'.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto" si ed my name in the presence oftwo sui scribing witnesses. I

MAURICE N. AISEN.

Witnesses:

E. CALDWELL, E. PASGHKE.

